Samas (समास) is the process of combining two or more words into a single compound word that expresses a unified meaning more efficiently than the expanded form. The resulting compound is called a सामासिक शब्द (compound word), and the process of expanding it back into its component words is called विग्रह. Samas is one of the richest word-formation processes in Marathi and Sanskrit, and a thorough understanding of it significantly expands both your reading comprehension and your writing vocabulary.
While sandhi operates at the level of individual sounds at a morpheme boundary, samas operates at the word level — it concerns the semantic relationship between the component words. A compound formed by samas may also contain sandhi at its junction point, but the two processes are distinct and must not be confused. Understanding samas will also help you recognise prefixes and suffixes embedded in complex compound words, since many prefix + root combinations follow samas-like patterns.
In competitive Marathi examinations — including the Maharashtra State Board exams, MPSC, and teaching eligibility tests — samas questions ask students to identify the compound type, write its vigrah (expansion), and sometimes compose compounds from given component words. This lesson covers all four major types with full definitions, vigrah patterns, multiple worked examples, practice questions, and the most common exam errors. Use the grammar quiz generator for timed samas drills and the vocabulary builder to explore hundreds of samas-formed words in context.
समास म्हणजे काय? — Definition of Samas
The word समास comes from Sanskrit sam + aas, meaning "brought together" or "compressed." In Marathi grammar, samas refers to the condensed combination of two or more meaningful words (पद) into a new single word (सामासिक शब्द) where the grammatical relationships between the original words are suppressed. The component words in the compound are called पूर्वपद (first member) and उत्तरपद (second member).
The key diagnostic test for samas: if you can separate the compound into its components, describe the grammatical or semantic relationship with a full expansion (विग्रह), and if the compound expresses the meaning more efficiently than the expanded form, then it is a samas. This efficiency — brevity with preserved meaning — is the defining characteristic of the samas process.
Why Samas Matters
Samas-formed words are ubiquitous in Marathi — in literature, official language, newspapers, textbooks, and everyday formal speech. Words like राष्ट्रपती (President), जन्मभूमी (birthplace), पुस्तकघर (library), आमरण (until death), धनधान्य (wealth and grain), नीलकंठ (Shiva — the blue-throated one), and चतुर्भुज (Vishnu — the four-armed one) are all compounds of different samas types. Recognising the type tells you the internal semantic relationship and helps with correct usage, translation, and vigrah.
Samas questions carry substantial marks in Maharashtra State Board examinations from Class 5 onward, and they appear in virtually every competitive exam related to the Marathi language. Beyond exams, understanding samas makes you a more perceptive reader and a more precise writer.
समासाचे मुख्य प्रकार — Main Types of Samas
Marathi grammar recognises four main types of samas, each defined by the semantic relationship between its members and the nature of the head word.
| Type (प्रकार) | Head word | Defining semantic feature | Key example |
|---|---|---|---|
| अव्ययीभाव समास | First member (avyaya) | First word is an indeclinable; compound functions as adverb | आमरण (until death) |
| तत्पुरुष समास | Second member | Case relationship between members; second is the head | राजपुत्र (king's son) |
| द्वंद्व समास | Both members equally | Members are co-ordinate; "and" suppressed | धनधान्य (wealth and grain) |
| बहुव्रीही समास | External entity (neither member) | Compound describes an external referent by its characteristics | नीलकंठ (Shiva — the blue-throated) |
१. अव्ययीभाव समास — Avyayibhava
In अव्ययीभाव समास, the first member (पूर्वपद) is an indeclinable word (अव्यय) — a Sanskrit prefix or particle that does not take case endings. The first member governs and dominates the meaning. The entire compound functions as an adverb or an indeclinable expression and does not itself take case suffixes. This is why it is called अव्ययीभाव — the compound "becomes an avyaya."
Common first members (avyayas) in this type: आ (up to / until), यथा (according to), प्रति (each / every / counter), अनु (after / following), निर् (without), सु (well / good), उप (secondary / near).
आमरण — आ + मरण → "मृत्यूपर्यंत" (until death)
Aa (up to/until) + marana (death) = Aamarana. Used in expressions like आमरण उपोषण (fast unto death). The entire compound functions as an adverb modifying the verb that follows it.
यथाशक्ती — यथा + शक्ती → "शक्तीनुसार / शक्तीप्रमाणे" (according to one's strength)
Yatha (according to) + shakti (strength/ability) = Yathashakti. A common formal and literary expression meaning "to the best of one's ability." The avyaya यथा specifies a proportional relationship.
प्रतिदिन — प्रति + दिन → "दररोज / प्रत्येक दिवशी" (every day)
Prati (each/every) + dina (day) = Pratidina (daily). The distributive avyaya प्रति distributes the meaning across every instance of दिन.
अनुदिन — अनु + दिन → "दिवसानुदिवस / रोज रोज" (day by day)
Anu (after/following) + dina (day) = Anudina (day after day). The avyaya अनु expresses sequential or following relationship.
Vigrah pattern for avyayibhava: The vigrah expands the avyaya into its full meaning and joins with नुसार, पर्यंत, प्रमाणे, प्रत्येक or similar postpositions. Example: यथाशक्ती = शक्तीनुसार.
२. तत्पुरुष समास — Tatpurusha
तत्पुरुष समास is named after the illustrative example तत्पुरुष — "his servant" — from Sanskrit, where तत् + पुरुष = तत्पुरुष (servant of him). In this type, the second member (उत्तरपद) is the grammatical and semantic head, while the first member (पूर्वपद) modifies it. The relationship between the two members corresponds to a suppressed case relationship — genitive (of), accusative (to), instrumental (by), dative (for), ablative (from), or locative (in/at).
Sub-types of tatpurusha are named after the case of the first member that is suppressed:
- संबंध तत्पुरुष (genitive — "of"): राजपुत्र = राजाचा पुत्र
- कर्म तत्पुरुष (accusative — "to/towards"): स्वर्गप्राप्त = स्वर्गाला प्राप्त
- करण तत्पुरुष (instrumental — "by/with"): मनमोहन = मनाने मोहन करणारा
- संप्रदान तत्पुरुष (dative — "for"): देवभक्ती = देवासाठी भक्ती
- अपादान तत्पुरुष (ablative — "from"): पापमुक्त = पापातून मुक्त
- अधिकरण तत्पुरुष (locative — "in/at"): घरजावई = घरात राहणारा जावई
राजपुत्र — राजाचा पुत्र (son of the king) — संबंध तत्पुरुष
Raja (king) + putra (son) = Rajputra. The genitive relationship "of the king" is suppressed. The head word is पुत्र. Vigrah: राजाचा पुत्र.
पुस्तकघर — पुस्तकांचे घर (house of books = library) — संबंध तत्पुरुष
Pustaka (book) + ghara (house) = Pustakaghar. The head word is घर; पुस्तकांचे is the suppressed genitive modifier.
कर्मधारय समास — Karmadharaya (Sub-type)
कर्मधारय is a sub-type of tatpurusha where both members refer to the same entity — the first member is an adjective or a noun used adjectivally to describe the second member. Unlike regular tatpurusha (where the two members refer to different things), in karmadharaya they refer to one and the same thing. The vigrah uses the copula जो / जी / जे … आहे तो / ती / ते.
नीलकमल — जे कमल नीळ आहे ते (the lotus that is blue) — कर्मधारय
Nila (blue) + kamala (lotus) = Nilakamala. Both words refer to the same thing — the lotus — and नीळ is its adjectival description. This is karmadharaya, not bahuvrihi.
द्विगु समास — Dvigu (Sub-type)
द्विगु is a sub-type of karmadharaya (or sometimes of tatpurusha) where the first member is a numeral. The compound denotes a collection, set, or group defined by the number.
त्रिभुवन — तीन भुवनांचा समूह (collection of three worlds)
Tri (three) + bhuvana (world) = Tribhuvana. The numeral specifies the count and the compound names the collection as a single concept. Vigrah: तीन भुवनांचा समूह.
चतुर्वर्ण — चार वर्णांचा समूह (the four social varnas)
Chatur (four) + varna (social class/colour) = Chaturvarna. A dvigu samas naming the four-class social system as a collective. Vigrah: चार वर्णांचा समूह.
३. द्वंद्व समास — Dvandva
In द्वंद्व समास, both members are co-ordinate and equal — they are joined by the suppressed conjunction आणि (and) or किंवा (or). Neither member is the head in the traditional grammatical sense; both contribute equally to the meaning. The vigrah always restores the conjunction between the members. The name द्वंद्व itself means "a pair" or "a duo."
Dvandva samas has two sub-types:
- इतरेतर द्वंद्व: enumerates both items distinctly — धनधान्य = धन आणि धान्य
- समाहार द्वंद्व: forms a collective category — हातपाय = हात आणि पाय (तसेच इतर अवयव) (limbs in general)
धनधान्य — धन आणि धान्य (wealth and grain)
Dhana (wealth) + dhaanya (grain) = Dhanadhaanya. Both members are equal co-ordinates joined by suppressed आणि. This compound collectively names two types of prosperity.
रात्रंदिवस — रात्र आणि दिवस (night and day)
Raatra (night) + divas (day) = Raatrondivas. This dvandva names both periods of time together. In idiomatic use it means "always, constantly" — तो रात्रंदिवस काम करतो (he works day and night).
आईबाप — आई आणि बाप (mother and father, parents)
Aai (mother) + baap (father) = Aaibap. A samahara dvandva — the compound collectively refers to "parents" as a unit, not just the sum of two individuals.
भाऊबहीण — भाऊ आणि बहीण (brother and sister, siblings)
Bhaau (brother) + baheen (sister) = Bhaaubahin. A pair dvandva listing both siblings. Vigrah: भाऊ आणि बहीण.
४. बहुव्रीही समास — Bahuvrihi
बहुव्रीही समास is named after the Sanskrit example bahuvrihi — "he who has much rice" — where the compound does not mean "much rice" but rather refers to a person who possesses much rice. This is the defining characteristic: in bahuvrihi, neither member of the compound is the grammatical head. Instead, the compound as a whole functions as an adjective referring to an external entity that possesses or is characterised by the quality described by the compound.
The vigrah always uses: ज्याचे/ज्याला/ज्याने … आहे तो/ती/ते — "the one who has / possesses / is characterised by …" The entity thus described is not one of the compound's own members.
नीलकंठ — ज्याचा कंठ नीळ आहे तो (Shiva, the one whose throat is blue)
Nila (blue) + kantha (throat) = Nilakantha. The compound does not mean "a blue throat" as an object — it refers externally to Shiva, who is identified by the characteristic of having a blue throat. The vigrah ends with तो — an external referent.
चतुर्भुज — ज्याला चार भुजा आहेत तो (Vishnu, the four-armed one)
Chatur (four) + bhuja (arm) = Chaturbhuja. The compound refers externally to Vishnu by virtue of his four arms. Neither "four" nor "arms" is the head — Vishnu (the external entity) is what the compound names.
पीतांबर — ज्याने पीत (पिवळे) अंबर (वस्त्र) परिधान केले आहे तो (Krishna, the yellow-clad one)
Pita (yellow) + ambara (garment/sky) = Pitambara. Refers to Krishna who wears yellow garments. A classic bahuvrihi used extensively in devotional literature.
Tip
The quickest way to distinguish तत्पुरुष from बहुव्रीही: write the vigrah. In tatpurusha, the vigrah ends with the second member (the head noun) of the compound itself. In bahuvrihi, the vigrah ends with तो/ती/ते — an external noun that is not in the compound. Apply this test to every difficult case. Use the grammar quiz generator to practise this distinction with randomised examples.
Vigrah — Step-by-Step Method
विग्रह (expansion) is the most tested samas skill in examinations. Follow these five steps for any compound word:
- Identify the compound type: Ask — Which member is the head? Are both equal? Does the compound refer to an external entity?
- For अव्ययीभाव: Expand the avyaya into its full meaning, join with postposition (नुसार, पर्यंत, प्रमाणे).
- For तत्पुरुष: Restore the case suffix to the first member and join appropriately (चा/ने/ला/तून/त).
- For द्वंद्व: Restore the conjunction आणि between the two members.
- For बहुव्रीही: Use ज्याचे … आहे तो/ती/ते — end with an external referent noun.
Common mistake
The most frequent exam error is writing the vigrah of a बहुव्रीही as if it were a तत्पुरुष or कर्मधारय. For नीलकंठ, writing "नीळा कंठ" (a blue throat) is the karmadharaya vigrah — incorrect for bahuvrihi. The correct bahuvrihi vigrah is "ज्याचा कंठ नीळ आहे तो." Always check: does the vigrah point back to one of the compound's own members, or to an external entity? If external — it is bahuvrihi.
Practice Questions
Q1. Identify the samas type and write the vigrah: जन्मभूमी
Show answer
Type: संबंध तत्पुरुष समास. Vigrah: जन्माची भूमी (the land of birth). The head word is भूमी; जन्माची is the suppressed genitive modifier.
Q2. Identify the samas type and write the vigrah: राष्ट्रपती
Show answer
Type: संबंध तत्पुरुष समास. Vigrah: राष्ट्राचा पती / राष्ट्राचा प्रमुख (head of the nation). Head word: पती.
Q3. Write the vigrah and name the type: यथाशक्ती
Show answer
Type: अव्ययीभाव समास. Vigrah: शक्तीनुसार / शक्तीप्रमाणे (according to one's strength/ability). The first member यथा is an avyaya.
Q4. Identify the samas type and write the vigrah: चतुर्भुज
Show answer
Type: बहुव्रीही समास. Vigrah: ज्याला चार भुजा आहेत तो (Vishnu — the one who has four arms). The vigrah ends with तो (external referent), confirming bahuvrihi.
Expert insight
In the Marathi grammatical tradition, the boundary between कर्मधारय and बहुव्रीही is subtler than the textbook explanation suggests. The word नीलकमल (blue lotus) is karmadharaya — it means the blue lotus itself. The word नीलकंठ is bahuvrihi — it does not mean "a blue throat" but refers to the person (Shiva) who has a blue throat. The key test is whether the compound can refer to its own second member or must refer externally. In examination answers, always state your vigrah before naming the type — the vigrah makes your reasoning transparent to the examiner and earns full marks even if your type label has a minor error.
Samas in Common Marathi Vocabulary
Samas-formed words are woven deeply into daily Marathi life. Understanding which type each word represents is not merely an exam exercise — it reveals the inner logic of the language. Below are common words organised by samas type, drawn from contexts you will recognise: family, geography, titles, and culture.
अव्ययीभाव in everyday speech: आमरण, यथाशक्ती, प्रतिदिन, अनुदिन, यथावकाश (at the right time). These often appear in formal speeches, newspaper editorials, and government orders.
तत्पुरुष in place names and titles: राष्ट्रपती, जन्मभूमी, मातृभूमी, विद्यालय, पुस्तकघर, देवालय (temple, from देव + आलय with sandhi). Maharashtra's own name comes from महा + राष्ट्र — a tatpurusha meaning "great nation/state."
द्वंद्व in family and culture: आईबाप, भाऊबहीण, रात्रंदिवस, अन्नपाणी, सुखदुःख. These dvandva compounds are among the most emotionally resonant words in Marathi — they carry the weight of paired human relationships and experiences.
बहुव्रीही in mythology and titles: नीलकंठ, चतुर्भुज, पीतांबर, गजानन (Ganesha — elephant-faced: गज + आनन), पंचानन (Shiva — five-faced). These are vivid epithets from devotional literature that identify divine figures by their distinctive characteristics.
How to Write Vigrah in Examinations
Writing the vigrah in examinations is a multi-step skill. Examiners look for: (1) correct identification of samas type, (2) a grammatically complete vigrah sentence using the appropriate pattern, and (3) brief justification. Here is the model format for each type:
- अव्ययीभाव: Write the expansion with the postposition fully restored. State "प्रथम पद अव्यय आहे, म्हणून अव्ययीभाव समास."
- तत्पुरुष: Write "उत्तरपद प्रधान आहे" and restore the case suffix. Name the specific sub-type (संबंध/कर्म/करण etc.).
- द्वंद्व: Write both members with आणि. State "दोन्ही पद समान आहेत, म्हणून द्वंद्व समास."
- बहुव्रीही: Write the vigrah ending with ज्याचे … आहे तो/ती/ते. State "कोणतेही पद प्रधान नाही — बाहेरील वस्तू/व्यक्ती वर्णन करतो, म्हणून बहुव्रीही समास."
Summary Table of All Types and Sub-types
| Samas type | Sub-types | Head word | Vigrah pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| अव्ययीभाव | — | First (avyaya) | … नुसार / पर्यंत / प्रमाणे | आमरण, यथाशक्ती |
| तत्पुरुष | संबंध, कर्म, करण, संप्रदान, अपादान, अधिकरण | Second (उत्तरपद) | … चा/ने/ला/तून/त … | राजपुत्र, पुस्तकघर |
| कर्मधारय | साधारण, उपमित | Second (same entity) | जो … आहे तो | नीलकमल, महापुरुष |
| द्विगु | — | Second (collection) | … चा समूह | त्रिभुवन, चतुर्वर्ण |
| द्वंद्व | इतरेतर, समाहार | Both equal | … आणि … | धनधान्य, आईबाप |
| बहुव्रीही | — | External entity | ज्याचे … आहे तो/ती/ते | नीलकंठ, चतुर्भुज |
Summary
Samas (समास) combines words into efficient compounds that suppress the grammatical relationship between members. The four main types are: अव्ययीभाव (adverb-headed, first member is an indeclinable), तत्पुरुष (second-member-headed with a suppressed case relationship, includes sub-types कर्मधारय and द्विगु), द्वंद्व (both members equal, joined by suppressed "and"), and बहुव्रीही (neither member is the head — the compound refers to an external entity). Mastering विग्रह (expansion) is the key exam skill. Build your compound word vocabulary with the vocabulary builder and test yourself daily with the grammar quiz generator. Also study related topics: sandhi, prefixes, and suffixes.
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